Imaginary
by Batman Lamp-Writer
Summary: What if it was all just a dream? Angst day! Warning-language.


A/N: Well, it's still Oct. 1 somewhere….

888

Danny sighed in joy as he lay back in the grass. A chuckle came from his right, and he glanced that way to see his girlfriend of two years.

Sam Manson.

He grinned. "Hey, beautiful."

She laughed again. "Hey, yourself." A playful punch knocked against his shoulder. "So, what're your parents up to today?"

He sighed. "Ugh, they have some new invention they want me to test. Said it's called the FentonScope or something."

"And what about Jazz?"

"She's happily studying at Harvard. Took her all of two minutes to get settled in."

Sam laughed. "Of course. It _is_ Jazz, after all. Have you heard from Tucker?"

He nodded. "Something about all the tech they have at CalSci."

She rolled her eyes. "They'll never get him out of the computer lab."

"So, what're your plans for today?"

She grinned. "As far as I know, I'm just hanging out with my boyfriend for our anniversary."

The word reminded him of the weight in his pocket, and he fidgeted nervously. "Ah, right."

She noticed, frowned. "Danny?"

"Sam, I—I wanna ask you something."

The look on her face was pure curiosity. "What?"

"It—It's been two years already since we got together, and I—I love you, Sam. I wanna—I wanna spend the rest of my life with you." He heard her gasp as he pulled the box from his pocket. "Will you marry me?"

"Oh, D—"

"_D!_"

Danny sat up, breathing heavilly. Then he noticed his surroundings and blinked. "What—? Where am I?"

The boy standing before him gave him a look. "Oh, here we go _again_…. What was it _this_ time, huh? Having a family? Being all super-hero-y? That chick?"

Danny blinked up at him. "What are you talking about? Where am I? Who are you?"

The boy sighed. "Why is it always _me?_ Fine, I'll humor you. _Again_. I'm Tom. You're in the Amityville Orphanage, and if you aren't careful, they'll send you back to the sanitarium."

"Orphanage? N—No, I have a—"

"You have nothing and no one, kid," another boy yelled from across the room. "None of us do."

"Jason…." Tom complained.

"'S the truth."

Danny shook his head. "No, I—I have a family, friends, a girlfriend! I—I had proposed!"

"Yeah, yeah, we've heard that story a million times. Where'd ya do it this time, huh? Museum? Zoo? That park you seem to like so much?" Jason sneered.

Danny frowned, brow furrowed. "How do you know about the—?"

"Because you keep fuckin' _telling_ us! We're sick of your deluded ass!"

"I am _not_ delusional!" Danny screamed.

Jason turned to the first boy, Tom. "You keep a handle on him, or I'll report him!"

"Just leave him alone, then!" Tom whined. "I don't wanna have to look after him!"

"I'm _not_ gonna frickin' leave him alone! That's what got Sam!"

Danny blinked. "Sam?"

"Oh, you remember now, huh, murderer?"

"W—What? No, no, what happened to Sam? What happened to her?"

Jason crossed to Danny's bed and, as Tom protested, struck him. "You _killed_ him, you psychotic bastard! All because he ignored you! Just like Tammy, and Jared, and Jessi, and Mark!"

"_What?_ No—no, Sam's—she's—"

"She's _not real_. _None_ of them are!"

"You're lying," Danny murmured.

"Ask around. Everyone else will tell you the same thing. These people in you head? They're just that, in _your head_. They aren't real. You _made them up_."

"No, I didn't!"

"Yeah, you _did_. Just like you made up Casper High, the Fentons, _Phantom_."

"How do you know about—?"

"You tell us about your stupid fantasy all the time!"

"No, no one knows about—!"

"It's true, D," Tom said, still sulking.

"You made up _everything_," Jason snarled. "All because of you being left here. You made up some fake world where everything was so _perfect_, but guess what? It's _not._ Not now, not _ever_. And that whole Phantom thing? You aren't him. You aren't special. You're an _orphan_, alone in this world, like us. But, unlike us, no one'll _ever_ want someone as crazy as _you_."

888

A/N: Okay, so not nearly as angsty as last year, but I'm gonna make that up by posting three or so new chapters and a new story no later than tomorrow. Read and review, please!


End file.
